Pennsylvania Land Based Casinos – Location Finder and Category Types

Map of Casinos In Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to 12 brick-and-mortar casinos, which offer slots, table games, horse racing, poker and as of November 2018, has PA Sports Betting as well. Needless to say, residents and visitors alike will have no trouble finding a venue spreading their favorite formats, especially along the eastern border of the state. Check the map of casinos in PA above to find one near you.

While PA’s first horse racing track opened way back in 1963, it wasn’t until 2004 that the state permitted slot machine gaming. In 2010, lawmakers went even further, allowing properties to add table games like blackjack and craps to their gaming floors. Sports Betting kicked off in November 2018 when Hollywood Casino took the first wagers. In addition, players will soon be able to partake in legal online gambling and pop in to an array of satellite casinos.

The industry has become such an unmitigated success for the state that it now takes its place as the second biggest gambling market in the US, behind only Nevada.

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PA casino categories

Pennsylvania land-based casinos are broken down into four categories, each of which requires a specific type of license. The PA Gaming Control Board has the authority to grant up to 25 licenses for permanent gaming operations. Here’s a rundown of each license type:

  • Racinos: Category 1 license (6 in operation, 7 total permitted)
  • Standalone casinos: Category 2 license (4 in operation + 1 planned, 5 total permitted)
  • Resort casinos: Category 3 license (2 in operation, 3 total permitted)
  • Satellite casinos: Category 4 license (5 planned, 10 total permitted)

Racinos (Category 1)

The term “racino” refers to venues which offer patrons a combination of wagering on horse races and traditional casino games. This type of license is only available to properties which host live horse racing at least 100 days out of the year. License holders pay a $50 million fee for the right to operate up to 5,000 slot machines and a $24,750,000 fee to spread up to 250 table games. At present, there are six of such properties dotted throughout the state.

PA racinos:

  • Harrah’s Philadelphia
  • Hollywood Casino at Penn National
  • The Meadows Racetrack and Casino
  • Mohegan Sun Pocono
  • Parx Casino
  • Presque Isle Downs

Harrah's Casino PA Harrah’s Philadelphia

Located on the waterfront in Chester, Harrah’s received its temporary slot license on September 27th, 2006 and its permanent license on December 20th of the same year. The racino opened on January 22th, 2007.

The casino spans 100,000 square feet, hosting 2,900 slot machines and a 14,000 square foot event center. Its table games debuted on July 18th, 2010.

On January 22, 2019, Harrah’s Philadelphia opened “The Book” located in the far back of the main casino floor. “The Book” is a 4300 square foot sportsbook with 19 stadium style seats, a full bar, 45 big screen TVs and a nearby party pit with table games. Around the same time, Harrahs also debuted its brand new 28 table WSOP poker room that runs daily tournaments and games running from 2/4 limit all the way up to $10/$25 no limit.

The facility is owned by Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, a division of Caesars Entertainment Corporation.


Hollywood Casino PA Hollywood Casino at Penn National

Owned by Penn National, Hollywood Casino opened its racino on February 12th, 2008 and debuted table games on July 23rd, 2010. The property was the first in the state to open a physical sportsbook on November 15, 2018.

The property features over 2,377 slots and video poker machines, along with over 50 table games and 16 poker tables.


The Meadows Casino The Meadows Racetrack and Casino

The Meadows Racetrack and Casino is a standardbred harness racing track and slot machine casino located approximately 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. It was acquired by Penn National in December 2017 through the $2.8 billion purchase of Pinnacle Entertainment.

The racetrack opened on June 28th, 1963 and received its casino license on September 27th, 2006. Casino construction began on November 16, 2006 and a temporary site officially opened for business on June 11, 2007. The permanent facility opened on April 15, 2009.

The casino features 350,000 square feet of space and over 3,300 slot machines. Table games made their debut on July 8, 2010 after an invite-only test date on July 6th. The Meadows Sportsbook opened their doors in October 2019, and features 18 self serve kiosks, 86″ 4K UHD TVs and food and beverage service. The sportsbook is located directly in the middle of the casino next to the poker room.

The Meadows is renowned for its use of RFID game chips, which feature a microchip that confirms that the chip is legitimate. This measure prevents the counterfeiting of chips.


Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs Mohegan Sun Pocono

Mohegan Sun Pocono, located in Plains Township on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre, is a racino featuring 2,300 slots and more than 90 live blackjack, poker and roulette tables.

The racino was the first to debut in Pennsylvania, opening its doors in November of 2006. The casino was also one of the first to begin offering table games, starting on July 13th, 2010.

The Unibet retail sportsbook is an 1130 square foot space that features 3 betting windows, 6 self service kiosks, 20 recliner style seats, a full service bar and a 28 foot wide HD video screen.

The facility is owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut and features 82,000 square feet of gaming space.


Parx Casino PA Parx Casino

Parx Casino, owned by Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., opened its casino on December 18th, 2009.  The racino received its license on September 27th, 2006 and debuted table games on July 18th, 2010. The property features 3,500 slots, 130 live table games and a state-of-the-art 48-table poker room.

Sports betting was added on January 10, 2019, and shortly later at two nearby off-track Parx locations, the South Philly Turf Club and the Valley Forge Turf Club (renamed Oaks). The permanent $10 million sportsbook opened their doors in August 2019 and sets the standard for what a sportsbook should be. The 7400 square foot space features 156 foot wall of video screens, six live tellers, 18 kiosks, seating for around 200 people, 3 VIP areas and a full service bar with seating for around 40 people.

In terms of pure revenue, Parx is the most popular casino in Pennsylvania, consistently outperforming its competitors.


Presque Isle Downs & Casino Presque Isle Downs and Casino

Presque Isle Downs and Casino is a racino owned and operated by Churchill Downs. The original owners broke ground in October 2005 with the track opening for business on February 28th, 2007.

The site contains 2,000 slot machines and a comprehensive array of table games, including a state-of-the-art poker room and a High Limit Room.


Standalone casinos (Category 2)

Category 2 licenses are granted to standalone brick-and-mortar casinos, which are allowed to offer the same number of slots and table games as Category 1 license holders for the same fees.

PA law requires that exactly two of the five Category 2 licensees be located in Philadelphia, and that one be situated in Pittsburgh. Aside from the exception allowing two licensees to operate in Philadelphia, the law does not permit any Category 2 gambling facility to be located within 20 miles of any other Cat 2 venue.

Category 2 licensees must also keep their distance from Cat 1 facilities, anywhere from 10-30 miles. There are five standalone casinos operating in PA.

PA standalone casinos:

  • Sands Bethlehem
  • Rivers Casino
  • SugarHouse Casino
  • Mount Airy Casino Resort
  • Live! Philadelphia Casino & Hotel

Wind Creek (Formerly Sands Bethlehem) wind creek PA

Wind Creek Casino is built on the 126-acre former site of the Bethlehem Steel Plant. The casino officially opened for business on May 22, 2009 after a one-year delay due to construction-related issues.

The property was originally owned and operated by Las Vegas Sands Corporation until its sale to Wind Creek Hospitality in March 2018. It was one of five casinos to be awarded a slots license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on December 20th, 2006.

The facility was granted a license for table games in the winter of 2010, rolling them out on July 18th, 2010.

The accompanying Hotel opened its doors on May 27th, 2011.


Rivers Casino PA Rivers Casino

Rivers Casino is located along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood. It is one of two properties in the state, along with Sugarhouse Casino, operated by Rush Street Gaming.

The casino is owned by Holdings Acquisition Co. L.P., a joint venture between Walton Street Capital LLC and High Pitt Gaming LP. The company took over a majority interest after original owner Don H. Barden defaulted on loans and payments to contractors.

The facility was one of five to be awarded a Category 2 slots license on December 20th, 2006. Ground broke on the casino in December of 2007, and it opened on August 9th, 2009.

The 120,000 square foot property features nearly 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games.

Rivers and its sister Rivers Philadelphia (formerly SugarHouse) simultaneously become the second and third PA sports betting locations on December 15, 2018. This has made Rivers the only option for sports wagers in the western side of the state.


sugarhouse Casino PA Rivers Philadelphia (Formerly SugarHouse)

SugarHouse Casino also received its license in December 2006. Developers broke ground on the project on October 9th, 2009, and the casino officially opened for business on September 23rd, 2010. SugarHouse Casino officially was re-branded Rivers Philadelphia in October 2019.

Along with the re-branding, Rivers Philadelphia debuted their new $5 million retail sportsbook that features seating for 115 guests, an 57 ft x 10.5 ft wall monitor and a full bar with food and beverage options.

The complex boasts a whopping 1.3 million square feet of space and is built on the site of the former Jack Frost sugar refinery. Sugarhouse offers 1,602 slot machines and 54 table games, along with retail and dining outlets and an event center.


Mount Airy Casino PA Mount Airy Casino

Mount Airy Casino, located in Mount Pocono, opened on October 22nd, 2007 and debuted table games on July 23rd, 2010.

The casino features more than 1,800 slots and a full array of table games, including baccarat, roulette, craps, blackjack and poker.

In September 2019, Mount Airy Casino opened a 7000 square foot sportsbook that shares the space with a 12 table PokerStars poker room. Mount Airy’s new FOX Bet branded sportsbook features four self serve kiosks in the sportsbook, four kiosks spread through the casino floor, 40 state-of-the-art TVs and luxury lounge seating.

 


Live Hotel Casino PA Live! Casino and Hotel (planned)

In 2014, Cordish Cos. emerged victorious in a battle to buy the one remaining Philadelphia casino license offered by the state.

With the necessary permits in hand, the company plans to build a 220-room hotel along with a casino that features 2,200 slot machines, 150+ table games, a FanDuel Sportsbook and a 33-table poker room. Also in the works is a pair of entertainment venues and six restaurants.

The complex will be located smack dab inside the sports epicenter of the state, in close proximity to Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park and the Wells Fargo Center.

Construction on the $400 million facility started in November 2019 and is anticipated to open their doors at sometime in 2021.


Resort casinos (Category 3)

Only two properties hold Category 3 licenses in the state, although in 2017 an additional Cat 3 license came up for grabs. Resorts may not be located within 15 miles of any other licensed gambling property in PA.

Category 3 license holders pay a $5 million fee to offer up to 600 slots and a $11,250,000 fee for up to 50 table games. After the gaming expansion package passed in 2017, Category 3 casinos can pay an additional fee to offer an extra 250 slots and expand their table games as well.

PA resort casinos:

  • Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin
  • Valley Forge Casino Resort

Lady Luck Casino PA Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin

Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is owned and operated by Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc.

The property opened on July 1st, 2013 and features approximately 600 slot machines and 29 table games. Nemacolin comes in dead last in terms of revenue earned by the state’s land-based casinos.


Valley Forge Casino Resort Valley Forge Casino PA

The Valley Forge Casino Resort became the 11th casino to operate in the state when it opened on March 31st, 2012.

Before opening, it was forced to overcome a legal challenge by Parx Casino, which claimed Valley Forge did not meet Category 3 requirements. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Valley Forge, paving the way for its opening.

Valley Forge features 40,000 feet of space with 850 slot machines and 50 table games. In December 2017, Boyd Gaming purchased the property for $280.5 million.

On March 13, 2019 FanDuel Sportsbook opened at Valley Forge, making it the first Category 3 facility with sports betting. The FanDuel Sportsbook spans 1800 square feet and features 7 betting windows, 27 tvs and two sports tickers. Despite the sportsbook’s small size, the design of the PA book is still impressive, as it flows out into the casino nicely where there are plenty of TVs, bars, slots, and table games.


Satellite casinos (Category 4)

In October 2017, lawmakers passed legislation giving state casino licensees the option to purchase a permit to build one of 10 satellite casinos.

These venues, classified as Category 4 properties, are essentially miniature versions of existing PA land-based casinos, and give license holders the right to house between 300-750 slot machines along with up to 30 table games.

Licenses were put up for auction starting in January 2018, with bids starting at a minimum of $7.5 million.

While a handful of auctions have passed without even a single bid, overall, the process has proven very lucrative for the state. So far, PA has reaped $127 million in revenue in Category 4 licensing fees.

Update: While Mount Airy initially won a bid for a satellite casino license, the project was subsequently cancelled.

PA satellite casinos

Here are how the auctions have played out to date, including the approximate location of each satellite casino:

  • January 10: Penn National – Yoe, PA ($50,100,000)
  • January 24: Stadium Casino – Derry, PA ($40,100,005)
  • February 7: Mount Airy – New Castle, PA ($21,188,888.88)
  • February 21: Parx – South Newton Township, PA ($8,111,000)
  • April 4: Penn National – West Cocalico Township, PA ($7,500,003)